Danger Island & Paulet Island
By 0400 hours we had entered the pack-ice in the Weddell Sea. Given the bump and grind of the ship passing through, it didn't take us long to stumble out on deck and witness the most amazing scene; as far as the eye could see - ice, ice and more ice. Big ice, small ice, HUGE ice, green ice, white ice, blue ice and even 'dirty' ice (ice with rocks and dirt embedded in and on it). The shapes and sizes were astonishing. Even for those of us who had been to Antarctica before, this was a chance to look at the vista as if with fresh eyes. For the "ice-virgins," it was a dream come true - even better than what the brochures had hinted at, as we filled our digital camera cards, shot rolls and rolls of film and just drank in the astonishing seascapes.
As the National Geographic Endeavour zig-zagged her way through the frozen sculptures, we caught glimpses of the Danger Islands. These are some of the remote northeastern islands of the Antarctic Peninsula. Typically surrounded by thick pack-ice or pounded by raging swells, most ships are prevented from even getting close, let alone actually launching boats and making a landing. We were blessed with no wind, and although the pack-ice was moving fast in the current we were able to launch the inflatable Zodiacs and head over to Heroína Island. Of the eleven staff members aboard, only one had ever landed here before, illustrating just how special this place was. We were all in awe as we approached the landing beach, where Adélie penguins were in such abundance that there was scarcely a spare inch on the beach. Running between the crowded penguins were Snowy sheathbills, a bird which specializes in eating all the delightful things off the beach, such as penguin poop!
The excitement of the day was continued with a stop after lunch at Paulet Island, which hosts another huge penguin colony and where we had the chance to stretch our legs on a walk over the hill, or along the beach. After leaving Paulet, the sun came out and we had a stunning evening as we transited towards the Antarctic Sound and our next adventure.
How could we top today? Only tomorrow would tell.
By 0400 hours we had entered the pack-ice in the Weddell Sea. Given the bump and grind of the ship passing through, it didn't take us long to stumble out on deck and witness the most amazing scene; as far as the eye could see - ice, ice and more ice. Big ice, small ice, HUGE ice, green ice, white ice, blue ice and even 'dirty' ice (ice with rocks and dirt embedded in and on it). The shapes and sizes were astonishing. Even for those of us who had been to Antarctica before, this was a chance to look at the vista as if with fresh eyes. For the "ice-virgins," it was a dream come true - even better than what the brochures had hinted at, as we filled our digital camera cards, shot rolls and rolls of film and just drank in the astonishing seascapes.
As the National Geographic Endeavour zig-zagged her way through the frozen sculptures, we caught glimpses of the Danger Islands. These are some of the remote northeastern islands of the Antarctic Peninsula. Typically surrounded by thick pack-ice or pounded by raging swells, most ships are prevented from even getting close, let alone actually launching boats and making a landing. We were blessed with no wind, and although the pack-ice was moving fast in the current we were able to launch the inflatable Zodiacs and head over to Heroína Island. Of the eleven staff members aboard, only one had ever landed here before, illustrating just how special this place was. We were all in awe as we approached the landing beach, where Adélie penguins were in such abundance that there was scarcely a spare inch on the beach. Running between the crowded penguins were Snowy sheathbills, a bird which specializes in eating all the delightful things off the beach, such as penguin poop!
The excitement of the day was continued with a stop after lunch at Paulet Island, which hosts another huge penguin colony and where we had the chance to stretch our legs on a walk over the hill, or along the beach. After leaving Paulet, the sun came out and we had a stunning evening as we transited towards the Antarctic Sound and our next adventure.
How could we top today? Only tomorrow would tell.
